Name: Gary Cooper
University: Nottingham Trent
Degree: LLB Law
Year graduated: 1998
Scheme: IT
Joined E.ON: 1998
Gary Cooper
Can you give us an outline of your career to date from when you joined the E.ON in 1998 to your current position as IS Strategy Manager?
The graduate scheme in its current guise did not exist when I joined. I started out in the IT department working with a small team designing databases. Over the next five years I held various positions within IT such as business analysis, development and project managements this culminated in my appointment as Team Leader for a team of developers.
Describe your current role at E.ON and the department you work in.
I now work within Business Services, a very dynamic area with great aspirations. We look after everything from the buildings, fleet cars, training, finances and most importantly making sure that people get paid! One role of an IS Strategy Manager is to find out what IT tools people need to do their job and the best way to implement these tools. I attend conferences to keep myself up to date with new technology and how it can be used at E.ON. I liaise closely with colleagues across Europe to ensure we share ideas and best practice across all of E.ON.
Have you worked on any interesting projects?
I've worked on some fascinating projects. From helping to develop important IT systems including Intranet, Desktop and Server infrastructures right through to defining the IT strategy for the E.ON Group as a whole.
What skills to do you need to your job?
Good communication skills are paramount, particularly when working in IT, an area that is often considered, by other departments, to have its own language! It's important to consider and respect other people's opinions and not to jump to conclusions too readily.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Five years is a long time, especially in IT, it's also a long time in the energy industry, which is also changing at a rapid pace. I'd anticipate being at the fore front of how E.ON uses new technologies to support mobile working, a diverse workforce, work/life balances and the new possibilities for generation of power.
